Prem clubs facing huge dilemma, says Andy Gray

Prem clubs facing huge dilemma, says Andy Gray

Andy Gray reckons clubs will struggle to comply with the new financial fair play rules

There will be all sorts of loopholes that clubs will try to exploit and take advantage of when he new financial fair play rules come in

Andy Gray

On the one hand there are the new financial fair play rules. Under the new rules, clubs will be allowed losses of only £38million in 2011-12 and 2012-13 combined — or risk fines or even bans from the Champions League.

On the other, television rights, foreign investment and a desperate fear of missing out on the Champions League means that clubs like Manchester City now have unlimited funds to spend on players.

City have spent more than £150m in transfer fees alone, with the likes of Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero all arriving in big-money deals.

Football pundit Andy Gray, who was sacked from his £1.7million-a-year role at Sky for a string of sexist outrages, told us: “The going rate for football is what it’s at in this country.

“I think clubs realise that they are going to have to be very careful of what they spend when the financial fair play rules come in.

“[But] there will be all sorts of loopholes that clubs will try to exploit and take advantage of when these regulations come in.”

Manchester City revealed last month a staggering loss of £195m.

The whopping deficit is the most a British club has recorded in one year - shattering Chelsea's previous high of £141m in 2005.

The figure highlights the mammoth investment made by owner Sheikh Mansour in providing Roberto Mancini with a squad capable of delivering the Premier League title.

The billionaire's spending has transformed the Blues from a mid-table outfit in 2008 to Premier League leaders.

Gray added: “I don’t think there is any doubt that Manchester City will win the league [this season].

“I think they have already shown that [that they are the strongest club].”

“There’s a togetherness of this team at City, there’s a belief that they are the real deal.”

“As long as they don’t fall out with each other and shoot each other in the foot, I think they will take some beating.”

City officials admit the losses cannot and will not be repeated going forward.

However, with Sky currently paying £541m per year for live Premier League football, it seems unlikely that the bubble will burst anytime yet.

Gray added: “Whilst Sky is around and is prepared to invest the type of money it invests then the league is sustainable.

“But if Sky suddenly pulled the plug on it and said it didn’t want to invest anymore and there was no one else around to invest that amount of money then we would have a problem.”